life lately (via my iPhone)

Hello friends.  Life has been surprisingly busy for our little family this summer.  All is calm during the daytime and then evening rolls in and we have somewhere to go and something to do every night of the week.  I am looking forward to things slowing down a bit now that the Independence Day holiday has come and gone.   Thanks to my iPhone, I was a able to capture a little of the craziness these past few weeks.

The Mr. & I had signed up to walk a 5K in our community.  The funds were going to update a park so that it was handicap accessible.   I was super sore from the crazy 3 mile hike we did while camping the day before and the thought of skipping the 5K was seemed like a pretty good idea.  But like 20 minutes before the race, I decided we should do it.  You can see the thrill written all over the Mr.'s face, can't you??   I'm just happy we finished in under an hour.



We celebrated birthdays that weekend too.  The Mr. turned 39 the day before the race & Tatum turned 9 the day of the race.  We celebrated small, eating cake and ice cream throughout the weekend and enjoying time as a family.   Nothing crazy this year, but I hope they both know how much they are loved.



The Mr. had a furlough day for work last week and we decided to splurge and take the kids to see Monsters U.  We let the kids pick where we sat and ended up on the back row.  We're such rebels, I know.   It was cute & I was in love with all the marching band music.  High fives for all the band nerds out there!    



Before I knew it, the 4th of July rolled around and we packed our day full of yard work, patriotic cake baking, dinner with friends and fireworks in the mall parking lot.   I considered the yard work my workout for the day and then ate a piece of cake so put back all the calories I had worked off from pulling weeds.  Life is all about balance, right?? ;)   The fireworks were pretty blah and somewhat hard to look at because the city left the mall parking lot lights on & they were totally blocking our view but the kids really enjoyed them so that is what matters.



Happy Monday!
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basketball cupcakes

Carter's team deserved a little something sweet after losing their first playoff game to some tough competition.  I brought along these basketball cupcakes to pass out to the boys after the game.  The Mr. told me later that the all the moms commented on how cute they were just before they were snarfed down by the boys.  Well, thanks to a white cake box mix, a homemade frosting recipe my grandma & mom taught me when I was younger, some Wilton food coloring & licorice strings, these cupcakes made the boys dribble....I mean, drool.

life according to my iphone

I'm pretty sure I have food on the brain.  We celebrated a birthday (which means a box mix cake, of course) and rekindled our love for Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches.  We went through a little dry spell with our juicer but have been getting it out to sneak extra veggies into our diet in a delicious way.  Popcorn is our go to snack for family movie nights & I pack it in the kid's lunches once a week.  And one day I was scrolling through pinterest and found a recipe that claimed I could make a brownie in a cup in my microwave in just one minute.  I was delicious but so sweet I couldn't finish it.

What little treats have you enjoyed lately?  Find me on instagram: @annieandm

eleven

We celebrated Carter's birthday over cake and ice cream.    He requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  I'm his mom so I have to deliver, right?  So while he was off to school, I baked his cake.  Which turned into a total fail.  It was a disaster straight out of the pan.  So I shoved frosting into spots to hold chunks together, filled the middle layer with reese's peanut butter chunks for good measure and slathered a thick layer of homemade chocolate frosting on the outside.  I threw it in the fridge to firm it up and was delighted to find it hadn't completely fallen apart by the time we sang "Happy Birthday" to Carter.

So, Happy Birthday to you, Carter.  I can't believe you are eleven.  You are growing up much too fast. You are an amazing boy - so kind, thoughtful & quick witted, just like your father.   And I love that you still think it's cool to wear the family birthday hat.  Here's to another amazing year!

cheap valentine date

That's right.  I'm a cheap date.  Really, we live on a tight budget.  The Mr. & I swap being in charge of Valentine's Day and our anniversary every year.  My mission this year?  To come up with a cheap date for our lovey dovey day.  I made a homemade pizza, bought some strawberry crush pop, and made red velvet cupcakes.  We grabbed a blanket, some battery operated tea lights, a favorite movie and headed over to our church building.  We set up camp on the floor in one of the rooms, ate by the candlelight and cuddled during the movie.



Don't worry, I didn't forget about our kiddos.  Yes, I love them too ;)  So I left them love notes on the chalkboard, decorated the table, made them a pizza and bought them strawberry pop.  They snarfed down cupcakes & m-n-m's for dessert and watched a Charlie Brown valentine classic on netflix.



Our weekend was also filled with fun and illness. I'll share more of that tomorrow :)

happy love day

If we are friends, then this is your official hug and kiss from me, since we all know I am horrible at calling, texting, emailing and communicating in general.  You know who you are.  My true true friends who don't judge.  Who love me just the way I am.  I wish I could reach across the country and bring you cupcakes and give you squeezes.  But a picture of ones I made for the kiddos this morning will have to suffice.

If you follow this here blog, then I want to thank you from the very bottom of my heart.  I'm flattered that anyone at all reads what I have to say.  I am grateful for your sweet comments and love and support.  I'm grateful that you are such beautiful, strong women that inspire me to be better.

If you are my husband, then I want to shout it out to the whole world that I love you.  You are the one for me and always will be.  We make quite the team - you, me & the kids.  It's hard to believe our marriage began almost 16 years ago.  It's gone by in a flash - a good reminder to me that every day with you is precious.  We are good.  We are happy.  I know that you love me.  And that is why I love you.

November checklist

The month of November is well underway. What special plans do you have for this month?

 xo,
--Anna

thank you cookies

We were driving over the weekend and the van gave out on us.  Again.  For the fourth time in a month.  And each and every time the mechanics claim they've fixed whatever it is that is mysteriously wrong with it. We dropped the van off at the auto shop again yesterday.  I hope it's the last time because, quite frankly, we can't afford to fix it anymore.

As luck would have it, the Mr.'s car wouldn't start this morning.  I said a simple prayer because a family of six with no transportation is not an option.  Especially since Hailey has an orthodontist appointment after school, Noah has soccer practice right after dinner and the Mr. has a church meeting right after that.  So the Mr. did a little tinkering, removed the car battery & got a ride from a very helpful neighbor to an auto store to buy a new battery.  He brought it home, installed it & the car started right up.  I said another little prayer with nothing but gratitude in my heart.



Our neighbor has been more than good to us, as he has been so kind as to take the Mr. wherever he needs to go when our vehicles quit on us.  He will be getting a plate of pumpkin cookies from us this afternoon. Nothing says thank you like pumpkin cookies.

I found the recipe on pinterest.  I don't have all the spices on hand, but they are good enough without them.   My kids love them so I think we found a new winner to add to our favorite Fall recipes.

What is your favorite Fall recipe or treat?

xo,
--Anna

dessert night//makin' whoopie.....pies, that is

Thursday night of every week is officially deemed Dessert Night in our home.  I needed to find a way to cut down on the constant requests for junk food from four hungry mouths and this seemed to be the perfect solution.  We've had this system in place for a couple of years now.  Typically, I lean toward the lazy side and scoop them some ice cream that we almost always have on hand.  Then there are the occasional batch of brownies I whip up earlier in the day.  I took some cake decorating classes a while back and we more cake than we could stand for 3 months straight.

I had the urge to make something different for this week's dessert, but didn't have much more than basic ingredients in my pantry.  So I got to work, going through my cookbooks to see if there was a simple, yet yummy recipe I could make work with what I had on hand.  Martha Stewart came to the rescue and I had just what I needed to make whoopie pies with chocolate frosting filling.

[Find the recipe HERE.  I made my own frosting filling.]



I overheard Carter say they were better than Nana's whoopie pies.  Gasp!  A comment like that is unheard of from this boy, so I'll be adding this to our favorites and tuck it away for a future occasion.

Happy Baking!
--Anna

our 4th

Independence Day was rather uneventful for us this year.  Fireworks were cancelled for the evening so we opted to stay indoors to play Uno & Clue and watch movies.  The missionaries (aka Elders) came over to hang with us and we all had a good time snacking on chips, hot dogs & red velvet cupcakes.


Noah ended up getting sick in the middle of the night & we spent the wee hours of the morning watching The Little Rascals.  I'm so glad the boy is better now.

How was your 4th?  Any fun adventures?

xo
--Anna

summertime smoothie

I love bananas and blueberries.  What better way to have them together than in a smoothie?  This summertime treat is made regularly in our household this time of year.

To make this tasty treat, you will need the following:

A small handful of blueberries, rinsed
One banana, peeled
2 heaping tablespoons of plain greek yogurt
1 cup milk

 Blend thoroughly in a blender. Pour into a cup and enjoy with a straw!

Happy Weekend!
--Anna

breakfast for dinner

I love evenings spent in. I love windows open and birds singing in the trees while I make dinner. I love the smile on the Mr.'s face when he walks in the door after a long day at work. I love to make breakfast for meals other than when it is traditionally eaten. I love big chocolate chip pancakes. I love that I can sneak in some flax seed for good health & no one notices. Heaven forbid one would try to make something like chocolate chip pancakes a little healthy ;)






I'm off to race my 7 year old on the wii.  I have a feeling she's gonna kick my trash.

XxOo,
--Anna

to my love, on valentine's day

My Dearest Mister,

You proposed to me 15 years ago this month.  Of course I said yes (how could I resist you?) and we have built an amazing life together.  You are so very far away on this very lovey day, but I want you to know this:  I love you.  I love you.  I love you.  I cannot say it enough.  I am beyond blessed for being able to be your partner into the eternities.  You are perfect for me & I for you.

Thank you for making sacrifices so our little family can have the things we need.  I look forward to holding your hand on date nights, hugging you as you come in the door after a long day at work, and kissing you before we say goodnight.   These little tokens of love are ones I miss but I know it won't be long now.  We will be together in just a few short weeks and all will be well again.

Yours,
--Anna
PS - I baked up some delicious chocolate chip cookies to fill your belly.  They are slightly gooey, just the way you like them.

good eats: pumpkin pielettes

I was feeling somewhat domestic recently & tried my hand at making mini pies.  I had some pre made dough on hand, along with canned pumpkin in the pantry.  

My verdict on the dough is that is not meant to be rolled out a second time.  It's pretty impossible to re-roll it.  Unless you have mad skills.  So I'll be making pies using homemade dough from here on out.

But they turned out pretty & delicious.  Tot & Nonee loved them, which is huge since I normally can't get them to eat anything that resembles a normal piece of pie.  These pielettes, as I like to call them, are just the perfect size for their little hands to hold.  

Have you made something delicious lately?  Please share :)

Happy Monday,

--Anna

good eats: pretty cupcakes

The kids requested cupcakes for Dessert Night (we only have dessert once a week at our house - Thursdays) so I bought a box mix and got to work.  I topped each one with some homemade frosting & flowers I made for a cake class I took a few months ago.  The result was almost too pretty to eat.

This boy may or may not have gobbled up a few.

The homemade frosting is a recipe I watched my mother & grandmother make as a young girl.  They would never measure anything and somehow frosting was magically perfect every time.  I make it the same way, but can give you the gist of how it's done.

You'll need:

1 pkg. confectioner's sugar (one pound)

1 teaspoon vanilla (I just use the cap of the vanilla bottle)

dash of salt

2 Tbsp. milk + some more

1 stick butter ever so slightly softened (I use unsalted butter)

I throw everything in at once into a bowl & turn on the mixer.  It will be a little on the dry & clumpy side.  Add a dash of milk and mix some more.  If it is still too dry, add more milk.  I like my frosting to hold its shape and not flop over.  If it flops {or is too runny} then add more confectioner's sugar.  I told you that for me, it's not an exact science.  If it's too thick, it will not spread on the cupcakes well.  If it's too thin, it will run right off the cupcakes.  So just thick enough is perfect.  

Have a yummy day!

--Anna

super saturday

It's a tradition of sorts for the women of my church to have an annual craft day, which has been donned the name Super Saturday.  And super it always is.  I was in charge of it this year - quite the task for someone who has a small committee, got the flu at the beginning of the week & is packing her house up to move.  But Saturday came & it was nice to visit with friends & craft the morning away.  I thought I'd share a glimpse of the day, but will keep a few crafts secret for now because they will end up under relatives' Christmas trees this year ;)

Bowties for boys were sewn.  My friend Chris made candy corn bow ties for her boys & a matching bow for her hair.  How cute is that?!

The beading table was always full - lots of cute necklaces & bracelets were put together.

Girls & moms alike had fun making these flower poufs for their hair.  I saw some being worn to church the next day.  Yea! 

{Thanks for helping out with that Michelle!}

I taught a basic cupcake decorating class.  Everyone left with new skills & yummy cupcakes to share.

Done any crafting lately??  I'd love to see/hear about what you're making!
--Anna